Fluid cooled electric conductor



Sept. 16, 1941. A D. JARDINE ET AL FLUID OOLED ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR Filed April 15, 1940 a www *mw M T V+ 1 r @www www@ www Uy, Nw ,w w llllllllllll -L A W .l ml. MNE mm -WM mN mw w. Yn-Nkwkhw w Zf/ll MN ii uw m\ Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oi-Fljcls FLUID COOLED ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR Albert D. Jardine and Harry V. Beronius, Detroit, Mich.

Application April 15,1940, serial N6. 329,712

' z claims. Ici. 11s-15') duit associated therewith in a new and improved manner to increase rate of conduction of heat away from the electric conductor.

A i'urther objectof the invention resides in a construction and arrangement oi' a cooling coil or conduit which also" serves as a 'strainer to prevent passage oi foreign matter passing from the coil or conduit into a sheathing which'encloses the electric conductor or cable.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from thevfollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying draw-- ing in which: v

Figure 1 is a view shown in longitudinal central section of our improved electric conductor Figure 2 is a diagrammatical view ci our strucpreformed metallic strip having a longitudinal oiiset and having oppositely turned side iianges Il and I5. When the metal is wound upon itself to form the conduit, the anges I4 and I5 interlock to keep'the metallic strip from unraveling. These interlocking ilanges Il and I5 are the sole means oi' holding the overlapping turns of the strip in place and as a result the conduit is not iiuid tight, but instead the cooling iiuid or water ilows out of the side of the conduit, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, and permeates the cable or conductor I0.' In order to insure complete permeation of the conductor III, we provide in the conduit a dam or plug I5 to resist free flow oi water directly through the conduit, this plug I5' preferably being locatedv substantially midf way oi' the ends of the conduit. The openings in ture to lillustrate iiowl of the conductor cooling huid; v

Figure 3 is an enlarged view shown in cross section ol the fiuid cooled electric conductor;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view showing a modification oi' the iiuid cooled conductor of Figure 3; and v Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view shown in longitudinal section of a conduit employed inthe cooling of the conductors.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the numeral III designates in general an electric conductorl or cable which comprises a central wire core I2 about which is spirally wound a plurality of wire strands II, each of which v strands is composed of a plurality f tine. preferably copper wires. In cables or electric conductors required to carry high currents, such as conductors for welding apparatus, it becomes necessary to cool the conductor if its early destruction Aby heat is to be avoided. In order to cool the conductor Il) in an eillcient manner, we provide a iiexible conduit Il for ilow therethrough of a cooling iiuid or medium such as water, and this conduit is inter-wound spirally with the cable strands I I to obtain as long a conduit as possible in heat transfer relation with the cable or conductor I0. The particular conduit disclosed is made, as shown in Fig. 5, by a spirally'wrapped) the conduit anterior to the plug l5' constitute iiuid outlets and the openings in the conduit posterior to the plug constitute uid inlets.

lFor each end of the conductor I0 there is provided a terminal plug I8 having a recessed end in which is received an end portion oi the conductor I 0, together with an end portion of the conduit I3. Within the recessed ends of the terminal plugs I8, solder or other suitable sealing material I9 is provided to seal the spaces between the conductor strands II and between the strands and the conduit I3 and also for securing the terminal plugs I8 to the .ends of the conduit or cable Iii.l Enclosing the conductor I II and the conduit I3 is a sheathing I1 of electric insulating material such as rubber, ythe ends of the sheathmedium or water will not leak from the ends of the sheathing.

In the modiiication oi' Fig. 4 the conduit 20 is the same as the conduit I3 but, instead oi being interwound with the cable, the conduit 2li forms the core about which the cable strands 2| are spirally wound. Like the conduit I3, the conduit 20 is provided intermediate its ends with a plug 22 to cause the cooling medium or water to flow out throughthe overlapping joints of the conduit.

In operation, one of the terminal plugs I 8 will be plugged into an electric' socket in communication with a source of supply of water under pressure, and the vother terminal plug I6 will be plugged into an electric socket in communicationl with a water return or drain. The provision of the plug I5 will force the water out through the open joints of the conduit and permeate the conduit i whence the water will go around the 'plug and reenter the conduit since this is the only path open for ilow of the water.

It will be seen that, in addition to conveying the water, the conduit serves as a double strainer for straining any foreign matter, such as small broken wires. to prevent a collectnm of wire pieces and other particles from collecting intermediate the ends of the cable. It will further be appreciated that the-provision Iof the plug in the conduit, resisting or preventing flow of water directly through the conduit, enhances the cooling effect, since it forces the water to ilow out of the side of the conduit and entirely permeate the conductor or cable. In addition, it will be seen that, -by wrapping the conduit spirallyc with the strands of the conductor or cable, a conduit of maximum length in heat transfer relation with the cable is obtained. r.

While we have shown and described our invention in detail, it is to be understood that the same i is to be limited only by the appended claims for many changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. A liquid cooled electric cable 'comprising a conductor, a sheathingoi electric insulating material enclosing said conductor, an open-ended conduit for flow of a cooling iiuid and arranged in said sheathing in heat transfer relation with said conductor, spaced sealing means sealing the spaces between said conductor and said sheathing and between said conductor and said conduit,

means in said conduit to prevent direct flow therethrough and 'disposed intermediate said sealing means, uid outlets in said conduit 'anterior to said third-named means, and iiuid inlets lin said conduit posterior to said third-named means.

2. A\liquid cooled electric cable comprising an open-ended conduit, a plurality of cable strands spirally wound about said conduit to provide an electric conductor, a terminal plug having a recessed end receiving one end of said conductor and the corresponding end of said conduit, sealing material in said recess sealing the spaces between said conductor, conduit and the walls of said recess, a second terminal plug having a recessed end receiving the other end of said conductor and the corresponding end of said conduit, sealing means in the recess of said secondnamedterminal plug and sealing the spaces between said conductor, conduit and the walls of the recess of said second-named terminal plug,

means interposed in said conduit intermediate said sealing means for preventing direct ow of a cooling mediun', therethrough, outlets in said conduit between one of said sealing lmeans and said interposed means, inlets 'in said conduit between said interposed means and the other of said sealing means, and an electric insulating sheath enclosing said conductor and said conduit and having its opposite ends sealed respectively to said terminal plugs. s v

ALBERT D. JARDINE.

HARRY V. BERONIUS. 

